The Bluest of Skyes
by Nightwing1104
Summary: Skye has it all: A home, the best education in the area, and a loving, but very overprotective mother... Who never lets her leave the house. Skye prays for just a little bit of freedom, and to her surprise, she seems to receive an answer, in the form of a young man. He claims that he can give her liberation, for a price. However, he is the exact opposite of an angel in disguise...
1. The Day Begins

**Welcome, dear readers, to my newest story: "The Bluest of Skyes". I hope you all enjoy it. And thanks to "Anti Social Shinigami" for reading this chapter over and giving some criticism. (You should check her out too; her story is awesome!)**

**I do NOT own Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji. Sadly.**

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"Skye, hurry up!" An impatient female voice wafts up the stairs of the Duskan household, into a young girl's room. She was currently curled up in bed, a pillow crushed underneath her head and blocking her ears. The dark brown-haired girl groaned in response, prompting the woman downstairs to yell loudly as a counter. Though it was a little louder than it should have been.

"GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!"

That did the trick.

Skye propelled herself out of her bed, underestimating the distance between her mattress and the floor of her room. She ended up falling flat on her face, dust from the gray carpeting finding its way into Skye's nostrils, forcing her to sneeze. Her blue-green eyes drifted over to her rather unreliable alarm clock.

"It's seven already?!" Skye shrieked, her eyes widening with dismay. Forcing herself back onto her feet, she dragged herself to her closet, struggling to find anything suitable to wear. Finally, she just settled on a pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt.

"Those jerks don't care what the heck I wear anyway." She muttered under her breath as she changed into the outfit she had selected. "Those jerks" was the way Skye referred to her classmates. They were incessant when it came to picking on her, because of the most trivial things. Her nose was too curved they said, her eyes too big and round, and her height, oh, her height! She towered over almost all of her fellow sophomore girls, and she was as thin and flat as a board of wood.

Skye was sure that those girls envied her, but Skye envied them too. Their figures were perfect, their heights actually normal. And yet they insisted on starving themselves to gain a so-called "pretty" image, just so they could get the attention of some idiot on one of the sports teams. Skye would know, she could hear them through the walls of the bathroom stalls everyday, chattering like noisy blackbirds.

"SKYE!" Her mother's voice echoed through the stairwell once more, angry and serious. "Two more minutes, or I'll leave you here to walk by yourself!"

"Pfft, no you wouldn't." Skye retorted softly, not daring to say it loud enough for her mother to hear. "You don't even let me cross the street by myself."

Grabbing her favorite necklace with a silver dream-catcher attached to it, Skye dashed down the stairs, careful to remember to also grab her backpack. Her mother placed a hand on her back, practically shoving Skye out the door and into the car. Slamming the door behind her daughter, she climbed into the driver's seat, revved up the engine, and pulled out of the driveway.

"Why don't you just let me walk by myself?" Skye asked, her head visible in one of the rearview mirrors.

Her mother sighed, her eyes fluttering shut with exasperation for a second before opening them again to focus on the road. "Skye, we've talked about this several times before."

"Yeah, but I'm not done talking about it yet." Skye replied bitterly, her arms crossed as she glared out the window, watching the trees and houses whip past without interest. "Why can't I? I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"

Her mother shot her a stern look through the rearview mirror, her green eyes narrowed down to dark, colored slits. "A lot can happen, Skye. You could be kidnapped, shot in the head, or even taken to an alley and raped for god's sake!" She craned her neck over her shoulder. "Is that what you want to happen? If you're with me, you'll be much safer. Saftey in-"

"Dad would have let me."

At that remark, Skye's mother slammed her foot down on the breaks, bringing the car to a complete standstill. She gained a few angry beeps from the horns of the people behind her, who had to brake suddenly and weave around her to avoid a collision.

She suddenly took on a harsh demeanor, glaring at Skye with clenched teeth. "Don't ever speak of your father again. He'd let you go by yourself because he was a foolish bastard that doesn't care about me, or you."

Skye was taken aback. Her mother never cursed in front of her! Well, when it came to speaking about her father, she supposed that was a different story...

Skye's father, a man named Thomas, had taken a "business trip" and left his wife, Joan, to tend to his only daughter for a week. Joan had figured out that Thomas was having affair with a, as Skye's mother put it, "filthy street whore" named Crystal. And that was the end of that marriage, which only lasted a year and a half.

Now, even speaking about Thomas set Joan on an edge. "I-I'm sorry." Skye mumbled, turning her gaze down to her sneaker-covered feet.

Joan sighed heavily, using a hand to brush her brown hair back and away from her face. "It's fine. Just please, don't bring it up again. I care about your safety, that's all."

I care about your safety. The words rang out in Skye's mind as her mother pulled into Elmwood High's parking lot. What parent cared so much about their kid's safety that the kid was barely allowed to even breathe without adult supervision?

It wasn't just about crossing the street alone, or walking to school by herself. Skye had never been over to another girl's house for a sleepover (which was why she lacked friends), never walked to the local store to buy groceries or ice cream like the other kids did, never went on a field trip, even if there were plenty of chaperones.

Heck, she'd never been on a normal vacation, even though it was with her mother that was with her! The closest she'd gotten to a vacation was a backyard kiddie pool and a couple of lawn chairs. Her mother believed that if she went on a vacation, even with an adult, Skye wouldn't be safe.

"Have a good day." Joan murmured, smiling softly at Skye as she climbed out of the car. Skye didn't bother to smile back, or even look in her direction. She slammed the door harder than she needed to, sighing with frustration and pinching the bridge of her nose as her mother sped away. Why did the "don't talk about dad" card always make her lose an argument so easily?

Skye turned her attention to the school building, and the crowds of high school kids currently shoving themselves through the front doors. She sighed again, trudging up the stairs and pushing the door open with more force than she needed to use. "I hate Mondays."

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**So, what did you think? Should I continue? Give me your thoughts, I'm all ears! (Updates will be irregular, though I'm trying to work out a schedule at the moment.)**


	2. School and Disappointment

**And here's chapter two! This story is just getting started. :3**

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The school day seemed to drag on endlessly, like it did every time. Luckily, the day was almost over, and Skye now sat in the last class, Math, jammed into one of the desks near the front of the classroom. Of course, throughout the forty-five minute period, only about six kids paid any attention to what information Mr. Silverman flung out at them.

Skye was not one of those kids today. Usually, she stayed focused and attentive, because Math was definitely her favorite subject. But ever since her mother dropped her off earlier this morning, anger and confusion had been chipping away at her mind. Her gaze drifted toward the glass windows, her hand supporting her head.

Why was it so hard for her mother to accept the fact that she wasn't a baby anymore? If only her mother could just give her a chance, Skye could prove that she didn't need constant supervision and that she didn't need to be kept in her house twenty-four seven. If only-

"Skye?" Mr. Silverman's scratchy voice made Skye jump and nearly fall out of her chair. Snickers and giggles that could be heard behind Skye made her anger only rise.

"Yes, Mr. Silverman?" Skye responded as politely as she could, but a hint of bitterness found its way into her tone.

"Since you seem to think that you are special enough to not take part in this class, could you please come up to the board and solve this equation?" The elderly teacher held out a piece of chalk in one wrinkly, shaky hand, the other gesturing toward the blackboard behind him.

Skye shrugged indifferently, dragging her feet a little as she stepped up to the board, grabbing the chalk a little more forcefully than Mr. Silverman would have liked. He narrowed his eyes, his gray eyebrows knitting together. Skye didn't bother to glance at him again, and instead kept her attention on the equation.

Simplify: -2(x - 3) + 4(-2x + 8)

Skye scoffed at the numbers, rolling her eyes and holding the chalk up to the board. Did Mr. Silverman actually expect to trip her up with this problem? He should have known that she was a whiz when it came to simplifying equations. Math tests were the only ones she ever got As on, after all!

In only two minutes, she had managed to complete the problem.

6x + 32

Mr. Silverman's expression didn't change, though Skye could have sworn that she saw his face soften a little. "Take a seat now, Ms. Duskan." As soon as the words had left his mouth, the bell rang again, signaling that the day had come to an end. "Have a nice day, everyone!"

Skye sighed with relief, happy to leave, and stood up with her backpack in hand. "Skye!" A soft voice called behind her, making her turn around.

The shy girl known as Lila Reed stood behind Skye, waving to her with a tentative hand. "Hi, Skye." She said, sidling up to the brown-haired girl. If you had to guess which one of the students in Elmwood's sophomore class was the shiest, Lila would have been picked. She hid behind her straight, fiery red hair, though her bright brown eyes still peeked through.

Lila was also not the most popular. The least, in fact. She was labeled "weird" and "creepy" by the other kids, mostly because her mother was very passionate about Demonology. As a result, her daughter was dragged into the mix, and that was the cause of the mean labeling.

"Hey, Lila." Skye nodded to the girl, a small smile on her face. Lila never really reached out to anyone before, so this was sort of a shock. Skye assumed that this was the year that Lila would finally branch out and at least try to find some friends. "What's up?"

"I was just wondering, um..." Lila twirled a lock of hair around her finger, looking around the classroom nervously. "My mom said it was okay if you wanted to come over my house. We can go to the movies or something... If that's okay with you."

Skye sighed, shaking her head and holding her hand to her forehead. "Sorry Lila, I can't." 'Of course.' She thought angrily, the thoughts about her mom restricting every move she made returning with a vengeance. "My mom is really strict, and barely let's me go anywhere, not even with a friend." She waved her hand dismissively. "Besides, she's dragging me to a Mass at four."

Lila looked utterly confused. "Mass?" She echoed, tilting her head.

"Yeah, you know, the thing that goes on in Church? Where you go to pray and stuff?"

"Oh, yeah, I knew what Mass was." Lila murmured, "I just... It's Monday, and..."

"So what?" Skye snapped back, a little irritated that Lila kept pressing so much. "Mass still goes on during the week, Lila. Just during select days and hours." Before Lila could respond and apologize for making Skye angry, the brown-haired girl pushed past her, nearly knocking Lila over with her heavy bag. "I gotta go. Mom's probably calling."

As the fresh, cool air hit Skye's face, she began to feel bad about Lila. The kid had just wanted to hang out, and Skye had lashed out about something so stupid... But before she could turn around to go find Lila and apologize, a loud beeping noise assaulted hers, and many other kids' eardrums.

"Come on, Skye!" Joan's shrill voice called out to Skye, and she beeped the horn on the car three more times. "We'll be late for church if you dawdle!"

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**And that concludes this chapter! Hope you enjoyed it. Chapter 3 will be arriving soon!**


	3. Voice in Her Head

**Welcome back, everyone! Chapter three is rolling in! Oh, and thanks to PenelopePurple12 and Anti Social Shinigami for the kind reviews!**

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"Hey, mom?" Skye addressed her mother from the back seat of the car. They were speeding down a narrow road, Joan determined to make Mass on time. "This girl named Lila came up to me earlier."

Joan raised an eyebrow with interest. "Oh? You making friends, Skye?"

The teen shrugged her shoulders, crossing her arms and leaning her head on the window. "Well I would be, but you had to drag me to church today. She invited me to go and see a movie, to just hang out. But I know you wouldn't let me..."

Joan's face contorted into an angry scowl. She was a very religious woman, having a strong faith in God, and to have her own daughter refer to Mass as some type of chore really bothered her. "First off, I didn't "drag you" anywhere. We decided on going to church together every few days. Second, no, you are not going anywhere with some people I barely know. Especially not some disgusting, kidnapper-infested movie theater!"

Skye's eyebrow twitched with annoyance, and she struggled to contain the feeling swirling around in her gut, like a hurricane. "Yeah, that's what I thought you would say." She grumbled, making sure that her unhappiness was made clear to Joan.

Suddenly, the car came to a stop in the parking lot of the church, where Joan made a very bad parking job. "Come on, Skye!" She said urgently, her previous anger retreating from her mind. "We're late! It's four-o-one! Mass starts at four!" She tapped her watch frantically, holding it up to show Skye.

Skye rolled her eyes in response, still staring out the window. "Oh no, what a shame." She said sarcastically. It was like this every time with her mother. She used the sarcasm in an attempt to tune her mother out.

"Don't be so grumpy. This is church! Let God free your soul, so you can soar happily through the- Oh, dear! Come on, now it's four-o-two!"

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Skye and Joan sat side by side in a private pew, Joan's head bowed as she began to pray. The other members of the Church did the same, mumbling softly into their hands as they expressed their gratitude and thanks to their God.

And Skye did none of it. In truth, she was absolutely sick of this whole routine. She just sat there, her chin rested in the palms of her hands as her gaze slowly scanned the rest of the church. But one could only look at stain glass windows so many times before even that got boring and stale.

One banner near the altar caught Skye's eye. It read, "May God give you freedom and happiness throughout all of your days." That's when the idea hit her: If she couldn't convince her mother to let her have some freedom from the house... maybe _God_ could? Quickly bowing her head, words raced through Skye's mind, and she threw them all up to God himself, hoping that with just a bit of faith, and possibly some luck, her prayers would be answered.

"Please, I don't ask for much. Obviously, right? But, if you could just find it in your heart... Do you even have a heart? Like, I'm not sure if you're just a disembodied spirit or... Well, whatever. Please, just convince my mom to give me some independence. I'm begging you! I'll do anything. I'll go to church EVERYDAY if you want! Please..."

A small sigh that Skye did not think of entered her subconscious, which kind of freaked her out. Well, _really_ freaked her out.

_"Fine. Your wish will be granted tonight, girl."_

An echoey, somewhat watery voice suddenly filled Skye's head, and she knew that this wasn't her own mind at work. Some outside entity was to blame. This had to be God! If not God, then an Angel, or-

"Pst, Skye!" Joan was gently nudging her daughter, who lifted her head, eyes wide. The woman's eyes and facial features were soft and kind, as if she had just let go of a huge load on her back and could now relax. Joan was like that after Mass; happy and joyful, filled with what she considered the spirit of The Lord.

"It's time to go now." Joan ushered Skye outside of the pew, pushing past a huge crowd of other church-goers. The sun was beginning to set as the two made their way back to the car. Skye's mind was still racing with thoughts, ones containing questions about that disembodied voice in her brain, that she still couldn't answer or even begin to explain.

"Hey, mom," Skye ventured as she buckled her seatbelt, which still held some of the dying sun's heat. "Did God ever, ya know... Speak to you while you prayed? Like, answered you?"

Joan didn't answer for a moment, and she seemed to be frozen in the driver's seat, her one hand outstretched toward her keys. Finally, she gave Skye a simple response, and her daughter noticed that her voice seemed hollow and depressed all of a sudden. The joy she felt from praying was gone now.

"Nope, never. I prayed for him to help me get rid of the broken heart your father gave me..." She quietly started up the car, backing out of her parking spot and speaking her last sentence softly to Skye. "And he didn't say anything."

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**And that concludes this chapter! Skye hears a weird voice in her head, and her mom seems really bummed at the moment... What shall happen next? Stay tuned!**


	4. An Unexpected (And Rather Strange) Guest

**Alright, a longer chapter! Thanks again to Anti Social Shinigami and PenelopePurple12 for the reviews, and thank you everyone who favorited or followed this story! You guys are my motivators!**

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"Goodnight, Skye." Joan kissed her daughter's forehead, then turned her back, flicking the light switch to Skye's lamp. "Sweet dreams." She slowly closed the door, a creaking noise resulting.

Skye sighed, rolling on to her side as thoughts raced through her head. The voice that had spoken to her freaked her out a lot. It just seemed weird that God would choose to answer a teenage girl's stupid prayer instead of a sad, adult woman's prayer.

"Whatever..." She muttered under her breath, forcing her eyes shut and trying to push the thoughts out of her mind. She needed sleep, that was for sure. The answers that she wanted, she could get them another day.

As soon as Skye finally fell into a light slumber, a horrific crash resonated throughout the room, making her bolt out of her bed automatically. She tried to find the source of the noise, grabbing her bedside alarm clock to use as a makeshift weapon. Though she wasn't sure that a robber or kidnapper would be weak enough to beat down with a broken alarm clock.

The strange thing was that her mother hadn't dashed up the stairs yet, woken up by the noise like Skye. Unless she hadn't heard it? But that was impossible, surely. The noise was loud enough to be an atomic bomb, from Skye's perspective. Okay, maybe that was exaggerating just a little, but still. It was freakishly loud, either way.

The noise seemed to have come from a large, now broken window. Glass covered the carpeted floor, and Skye struggled to move out of the way of the shards. She saw no sign of an assailant, which she thought was really weird. If someone just wanted to throw a brick or rock, the object would have entered her room along with the glass shards, and she saw none of that.

"Hi there!" A cheerful voice coming from behind made Skye stiffen up, her hands clenching themselves tightly around the alarm clock that she held. She didn't know what to do, it was like she was frozen.

"I'm here to talk, if that's cool with you." The voice, clearly male by the tone, said after Skye didn't respond to his greeting. She hadn't even turned around to face the intruder. Turning her head slowly, she fully expected to find some big, muscular, terrifying man with tattoos and piercings, maybe even a gun or bat in his hand...

And that was the exact opposite of what she saw.

Instead, she came upon a young man, probably around seventeen or eighteen years of age by the look of him. His eyes were a golden and amber mixture, his hair a light, dusty brown, like dirt touched by the sun's days. He was actually pretty handsome, Skye thought. But when she looked down, she completely lost it.

This guy was completely naked!

Skye squeaked, her face turning bright red. She dove back to her bed, hiding underneath the covers. "U-Um..." She tried to speak, but no words came out. She was flustered beyond belief. "N-Naked..."

The man looked down, bewildered, until he laughed softly with realization. "Oh, sorry 'bout that! I kind of forgot about clothes. But ya know, this is actually very comfortable, and-"

He was cut off as a sheet from Skye's bed was thrown in his face. "Uh, thanks." He mumbled, obviously not taking too kindly to being cut off in mid-sentence. He tied the sheet around his waist, like one would do with a towel. Skye peered out of the covers, and sighed with relief as she noticed that the man had taken her unspoken offer.

She would have to burn that sheet later though, considering the fact that it was touching some random stranger's unmentionable region.

"W-Who are you?" Skye questioned with a shaky voice, still refusing to remove her hands from the alarm clock. "Why did you break my window?"

"I was the one who answered your prayer!" The man raised his chin rather proudly, his hands fisting and placing themselves on his hips. "Well, actually, the voice you heard was my instructor's. But, _I've_ been sent here to fulfill your dream!"

Skye was shocked. This guy had answered her? If this guy was an Angel, then he was the very last thing that Skye had expected to see.

It just seemed too... Odd.

"Yeah!" The man continued to boast proudly. "And I'm here to deliver you your freedom, with a contract. So listen closely, okay? I'll give you unlimited freedom for a whole month, but in return, I need-"

"DEAL!" Skye shouted at the top of her lungs. "I ACCEPT!"

The man looked dumbfounded. "Uh, don't you want you hear the rest of the conditions...?" He asked.

Skye shook her head vigorously. "Ha! No one cares about the terms and conditions of a contract. Do you know how many people actually read those stupid blocks of text online?" She waved her hand dismissively. "Just sign me up already!"

The man sighed heavily, shrugging and scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, okay. I just didn't really think it'd be this easy. Thought I'd be able to use some persuasion techniques that I'd learned. But, whatever!" He suddenly stepped forward, and in seconds he was right in front of Skye, his face inches from her own. "Now, I'll just take your hand, and..."

Before Skye could question what he was doing, a searing pain ripped through her left hand. She grit her teeth and groaned in pure agony. It felt like a hot coal was burying itself into her skin! What was this? Why would an Angel want to hurt her this badly? Finally, after a minute, the pain receded. She examined her hand, looking to see if any damage had been done to it. And...

"What. The. Fuck?" She didn't know what to think or say. What Angel sealed a contract with a very painful tattoo in the shape of a pentagram? This was very scary, to put it quite frankly.

"This is fantastic, you know. I was the first demon in my class to create a contract! My very first contract! My parents are going to be so proud. I'm seven hundred years old, and I just graduated last year.* Oh, this is going to be so epic..." The man sighed wistfully, clasping his hands together.

Skye's eye twitched aggressively. "Demon? DEMON?!" She shrieked, her arms flailing around wildly.

"Yeah." The man, who was apparently a demon, tilted his head curiously. "Huh. Well, instructor said humans were crazy. Guess he was right. But yeah, I'm a demon. You should have listened to all the conditions! Anyway, in one month, I get your soul." He tapped Skye's forehead with a sharp nail. "And I give you unlimited freedom during that month. Got it?"

He took hold of Skye's trembling left hand, which bore the contract seal. "And this little mark here will prevent you from escaping my sight. You can never leave me now!" He hugged Skye in a tight embrace, and the girl squealed and struggled to avoid his grasp. Much to her surprise, he was unbelievably strong, and with any more force she'd be crushed.

"I hope we can be good friends during this time! I'm Simon, by the way. My full name is Simon Caster, or at least that's what my instructor told me to say. Said it would help me fit in with humans if I had an actual human name. In reality, I don't have a name at all. I'm nameless!"

Skye's mouth was agape. Her throat felt dry, and she couldn't even scream out to her mother. Speaking of which, where was her mother? She should have heard everything by now! The police should have been called!

As if reading her mind, Simon answered Skye's question. "Oh, I knocked her out with this." He suddenly pulled a small vial out of nowhere, filled with purple, noxious-looking liquid.* "It's from some old witch. My instructor handed them out to everyone. They knock any creature out for six hours. Even just a whiff of the stuff does the trick. Don't worry, it's not toxic, so it won't kill her."

Questions raced through Skye's head, but one in particular stuck out. She blurted out the words before she actually could comprehend what she was saying.

"So I basically just got my freedom... But I have to be trapped by this mark and followed around forever?"

"Yup, that's about right. It makes me wonder... Are all humans this stupid? The instructor said you were pretty dumb, so..."

"I am not stupid! You jerk!" Skye spat back, though she clamped her hands over her mouth as she realized that this was a demon that she was addressing. Demons were evil, right? They were probably pretty powerful, too. She would have to be careful. Simon may look like an innocent teen, but he was probably much more than that.

"So, um..." Skye stumbled over her words. "Can I take this contract back? You know, get a refund?"

Simon thought through the proposition, but then shook his head. "Nope, no refunds! But hey, don't be sad! Pack your bags, missy! Because I'm taking you on the trip of a lifetime!" He wrapped his arm around Skye's shoulder, his other arm sweeping out dramatically in front of him.

"This is going to be the best, and last, month of your life! And the contract starts..." He looked down at his wrist, as if checking some invisible watch. "NOW!"

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**Yup, I made my own demon OC. No regrets! I figured I'd be a little more original, and I already used Sebastian in another fic, so... Yeah. Plus, I really love Simon. :3 **

***Oh, and that whole instructor thing is something I thought up too, along with the potion thing. I thought it'd be something to think about, and make the story a little more interesting. Thanks for reading so far, and reviews are appreciated!**


	5. Goodbye

**Welcome, welcome, dear readers! Chapter 5 is here! Thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed, and thanks for sticking with me so far!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji. Just my OCs and plot!**

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Before Skye knew it, Simon had raided her drawers and closet, and eventually packed a small suitcase for her. Thankfully, he had agreed to slip a pair of Skye's jeans on, which, surprisingly, fit well. The two beings were around the same height, and their body types were pretty much identical, so it made sense.

The girl, however, just sat in her bed, trembling slightly as shock took hold of her. How could this have happened? Why had she been so stupid? What was wrong with her? And... What about her mother?

"Simon, what's going to happen to my mom?" Skye asked the young demon in a quiet voice. She dared not think of his responses, but some horrible, possible answers crept into her mind. Like, Simon having to kill Joan, or drop her off in some foreign country. But the answer she got instead was much worse to her, more terrible than all of those things.

"Well..." Simon rested his chin in his hand in thought. "My instructor said... Oh, yeah! I just make her lose all memory of you. Piece of cake! Then, she won't be concerned about finding you, because to her, you won't exist!" He suddenly pulled out a vial of blue liquid this time, much like he did the purple one.

"This should do the trick. I'll let her inhale this while she's still unconscious, and soon, all remembrance of you will be erased! Pretty cool, right?"

"NO! That's not cool!" Skye screamed as loud as she could, reaching forward to try to knock the vial out of Simon's hand. The demon quickly retracted his arm though, and Skye fell forward, landing hard on her stomach. She turned her head over her shoulder, glaring as harshly as she could at the puzzled face that peered down at her.

"That's my mom we're talking about! The woman who gave birth to me and raised me and loved me! To make her not remember me ever again..." She closed her eyes to prevent the waterfall of tears that threatened to spill over. "I-I don't want that!"

"Hey, hey... don't be sad." Simon said, and when Skye opened her eyes again, she could see some distress on his features. The thought of a demon actually caring about someone's unhappiness had never once crossed her mind. Well, since he was young and new to this whole thing, Skye supposed that his evil and mischievous side hadn't grown in yet.

Simon knelt down to Skye's level, lifting her chin gently with his hand. Blue eyes met golden ones as the two stared silently at one another. "She won't forget you for good. The potion wears off if the victim sees the forgotten's face again. So, if she sees your face again, she'll remember you."

"B-But," The tears were coming down hard now, Skye not being able to hold them in anymore. "I-I won't see h-her again. You're going to k-kill me, r-remember?"

Simon nodded in understanding, but he shrugged a little too. "Yeah, but when I'm done, I'll come back here, and show your mother a picture of you. I'll explain everything to her."

Simeon's words seemed to bring Skye some comfort, even if it was just a small amount. "P-Promise?" She held up her hand, her pinky extended.

Simon stared at the finger as if a second head had sprouted on Skye's hand instead. He outstretched his own hand, and with a serious, deep-in-thought look on his face, he gripped Skye's pinky tightly, shaking it, as one would during a handshake.

Skye shrugged, sitting up and wiping her tears away with the back of her hand and sniffling. Simon probably didn't know what a pinkie-promise was, but she would settle for the "handshake" anyway. It was proof enough to show that he would do what she wanted. "Thanks."

_"Wow," Skye thought, "I never thought I'd say 'thanks' to a demon before. Well, I never thought I'd be talking to a demon at all."_

"Want me to give your mom the potion?" Simon inquired as he stood up, holding out the vial again. The bright blue substance that was inside glittered as it was shaken, and the sight sent tiny shivers down Skye's spine. "Or do you wanna?" He held out the vial to Skye as an offering, but the girl quickly batted it away, refusing to even give it a glance.

Simon sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Sounds good. Why don't you get out of those pajamas and change. I'll take care of your mom, and then we can decide where you want to go first."

Skye nodded, still not looking at the demon as he exited her room. She could hear his footsteps as he walked down the stairs, the wooden steps creaking ominously. She stood on shaky legs, blindly crossing over to her closet and pulling out a simple gray shirt and some blue-jeans.

Even as she changed out of her clothing and slipped on the new pieces, her mind traveled elsewhere. Her eyes drifted down to her left hand, the hand that bore that dumb mark. It still tingled a little, reminding Skye of the horrible choice that she had stupidly decided to make. She still couldn't believe this.

For a moment, she wondered if she was being pranked. Maybe this mark was just some temporary tattoo? Yeah, and maybe her mom was in on the thing, which was why she hadn't come to Skye's aid...

But when Simon traveled back up the stairs, arms full of family photos that Skye, her mother, and for a short time, her father, had taken together, she knew that this was just too well done and real to be a joke. Simon dropped the pictures into Skye's suitcase, then zipped it up again and sat it on the floor.

"This is so your mom won't remember you when she wakes up. Even photographs with the forgotten's face in them make the potion wear off. And then, the cops will come along and ruin everything for me. So, better safe than sorry!"

"C-Can... I say goodbye?" Skye asked quietly, her eyes downcast and tears welling up inside her again.

Simon gave her a tiny nod, gesturing to the small hallway that led just outside Skye's door. "Sure, go ahead. Take all the time you need."

Skye tried to make the trip to Joan's room last as long as she possibly could. She seemed to be looking at the contents of her home for the first time, examining every room and closet that she could. She admired Joan's crystal figures that she had placed so carefully on the mantle of the fireplace. She always said her favorite was a little blue bird, because Skye had given it to Joan as a Mother's Day gift.

The girl also took the time to look at Joan's wedding photos, which the spiteful woman had piled up in a dusty heap in the back of a closet. The picture frames were cracked and damaged, and the groom's face was scratched out in several snapshots, but Skye decided to slip out the best one and stick it in her pocket. Her mother and her father were smiling so brightly in that photograph, Joan actually looking happy. It was something that Skye hadn't seen in a while.

Finally, they had reached Joan's bedroom door. She was underneath the covers of her bed, her breathing deep and slow. It would only be a few more hours until she woke up again, and Skye's memory would be gone forever.

She would probably question who occupied that room upstairs, and who had drawn all those pictures and taken home those report cards that hung on the refrigerator. She would probably call relatives to find the answer, but then hang up when she still couldn't remember who "Skye Duskan" was.

She'd go crazy, maybe even be put into a mental hospital. She might be accused of murder, because no one would ever be able to find Skye.

And all of this would happen because of her idiot daughter.

Simon pushed the frozen girl forward a few paces, and then once more, until she stood at the edge of Joan's bed. Skye could feel the streams of tears pouring down her face again, and she didn't even bother to try to hold them in this time. She bent down, hugging her mother as tightly as she could, burying her face in locks of soft hair.

"I-I love you," She whispered, "I-I'm sorry that I-I'm such a poor excuse f-for a d-daughter. I-I didn't deserve y-you." She placed a soft kiss on Joan's forehead, and then turned away. "Let's go." She told the demon that stood in the doorway, watching the sad farewell.

Simon didn't say anything, just grabbed Skye's suitcase and made his way for the door. Skye followed him, her hands trembling as she fumbled with the doorknob, trying to open it. She ushered Simon out first, then followed close behind. She took one last glance at her home, and then shut the door.

"Bye."

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**Well, was that some depressing stuff or what? You'll notice that I changed the genre to Adventure/Drama, because this story will have more of a dramatic undertone instead of a comedic one. But, still think of it as a dramedy, because don't worry, there will be funny moments to come. **

**Anyway, Thanks for reading so far!**


	6. A Surprise, A Fall, and A Lie

***cowers in fear* Okay, don't kill me! I'm sorry I've been away for so long. Hopefully this chapter will atone for my sins. (Okay, maybe that's a wee bit dramatic. Just enjoy, and try not to be mad! :3)**

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After Simon and Skye had left, Simon felt that he should fix the window he broke before they did anything else. Skye didn't bother helping, but she didn't protest the idea. The demon obviously wasn't a top-notch handyman, considering the fact that he used crazy glue to put the pieces of glass back into place. Someone would figure out that the window was broken eventually, but Simon had assured Skye that they would be long gone before then.

The sun was beginning to rise once more after a few hours, and it was around seven soon enough. The demon and girl wandered around the dark, winding streets of Skye's neighborhood, Simon not really sure what to do next. He occasionally snuck glances at the sad girl, hoping that she would speak up and perhaps give him a clue as to what he was supposed to be doing now.

This was his first contract, after all, and his instructor hadn't told him anything about how to fulfill the contracts they created. He had just gone over how to create the mark on the chosen's hand, how to persuade them, things of that nature. But he had said nothing about what to do AFTER all of that!

Finally, he took a deep breath, realizing that he would have to be the one to speak. "So... Where do you wanna go first? We can go wherever you want. Just name the place, and I'll take you there."

Skye shrugged, a hand on her forehead. Her head throbbed painfully, every step she took making the pain seem worse. "I don't know." She replied, her voice monotonous and quiet. "I guess going back home is not an option anymore. Maybe-"

Suddenly, someone barreled into her side, pushing her into a neighbor's bushes. She found herself lying in a patch of mulch and rock, the scents drifting up from the ground damp and earthy as the morning dew began to settle in.

She immediately began to fidget and struggle wildly, opening her mouth to scream. A smooth hand pressed against her mouth before she could utter a word, and she could see two golden eyes gleaming as they scanned the street ahead. Simon glanced down at her, his gaze urging her to keep silent, and then turned his head back to the street.

What the heck... Had gotten into Simon?

Skye tried to ask the demon what he thought he was doing, biting the hand that pressed up against her face. Apparently demons could feel pain, because Simon flinched and pulled his hand away, a couple drops of blood staining the dirt.

"What the hell, man?!" Skye shouted angrily, and a small, soft voice replied to her, one that clearly didn't belong to Simon.

"Skye, what's going on?"

Both girl and evil entity froze, not daring to move. Slowly, Skye began to sat up, since Simon had pulled his hands back to give her movement. Her hand popped up above the row of bushes, her eyes and the top of her head visible. A pair of confused, chocolate-brown eyes stared incredulously back at her, and a pair of cheeks became flustered as the eyes spotted Simon emerging as well.

"Oh, hey, Lila." Skye greeted the red-haired girl gingerly, waving a hand awkwardly. Simon did the same, and he showed no fear towards the newcomer. More like puzzlement, Skye guessed.

Lila nearly dropped the books that she carried in the crook of one arm. Skye cursed herself mentally. She should have known that Lila was out this early in the morning! She always saw the quiet girl pass by her house on her way to school. Lila went earlier than anyone else, because she liked to help the teachers get ready for the day ahead.

"Hi." Was all Lila said, still gawking at the pair. It must have looked pretty weird to her; A strange man who Lila had never seen before in her life now straddling Skye, a fellow classmate, behind a neatly trimmed line of bushes. Very weird indeed. "Um, what are you-"

Simon started speaking before Skye could. "I'm her father!" He blurted out. Skye looked just as baffled as Lila at this point. Though that excuse did make some sense. Lila had never seen Skye's father before, so she couldn't be proven wrong. No one in the school had ever seen him, actually. Maybe this lie could work...

Seeming pretty full of himself, Simon continued speaking. "I was escorting Skye to school, and we tripped over some rocks and fell into these bushes. Anyway, I think Skye would like to know if you want to go to the movies tonight." Lila stared at Skye, as if looking for a sign of reassurance, to prove that Simon was telling the truth. Skye nodded slowly, trying to gain some composure to make this seem convincing.

"Yeah, um, sure, Skye. I'd love to." Lila smiled a little, then walked toward the two, reaching out a hand to help Skye up. The Duskan girl silently thanked the Lord for Lila's not asking anymore questions. If she had, Skye wasn't sure if she'd be able to answer any. One of those questions possibly being why Skye's "father" wasn't wearing a shirt, just some jeans. She grasped the red-headed girl's hand, nearly toppling over as she righted herself.

Simon stood, dusting himself off a little. "Well, now that that's settled, why don't I escort you young ladies to school?" Lila nodded, smiling cheerfully as she led the way, motioning for Skye to take up the lead beside her. The brunette cast a thankful glance toward Simon, though she wasn't sure if he'd noticed, due to the fact that he was staring off into the distance, watching the sun's steady climb upward.

He looked mesmerized by the glowing, fiery ball, and Skye realized that demons probably didn't see much of light down in Hell. It was probably dark most of the time, maybe even cold too. She shuddered at the thought of such a place, full of loneliness and pain and terror.

Eventually, the three neared the school building, and Skye quickly grabbed a sweatshirt out of her backpack, shoving it into Simon's face. Seriously, what would the teachers and principal think if some random, shirtless dude just started strutting around on the property?

Yeah, Skye couldn't see how that would be good at all.

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**And that concludes this chapter! Hope you enjoyed, and you'll be satisfied. Again, seriously sorry about being so inactive! It's just with school and all, it's been tough to find time to actually sit my butt down and write. Hope you understand. :)**


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